AUWCL Excels at Recent Trial Competitions

Feb. 24, 2020

Anthony Nardi, Dimitar Georgiev,  Erin Downey, Ciara Beaulieu, and  Stephanie Herrmann.
Anthony Nardi, Dimitar Georgiev, Erin Downey, Ciara Beaulieu, and Stephanie Herrmann.

Teams from American University Washington College of Law’s nationally ranked Stephen S. Weinstein Trial Advocacy Program, along with select independent teams, have excelled recently in regional and national competitions.

For the third year in a row, AUWCL’s Moot Court Honor Society (MCHS) has won the Mid-Atlantic Regional round of the 2020 Phillip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition, the world’s largest moot court competition. AUWCL, in partnership with the International Law Student Association, hosted the event – the first of six rounds in the United States, and one of the 69 rounds held worldwide.

Team member 3L Erin Downey was selected number one in the competition, while 2L Stephanie Herrmann and 3L Dimitar Georgiev finished in the top ten. 3Ls Anthony Nardi and desk counsel Ciara Beaulieu rounded out the team’s superb effort. The team, coached by Adjunct Professor Catherine Newcombe, had the 4th best memorial.

2L Zhuo Zhao, 3L Austin Wallick, and 3L Rachel Saady-Saxe
Zhuo Zhao, Austin Wallick, and Rachel Saady-Saxe.

The winning team defeated Georgetown, Harvard, Howard, and Seton Hall before taking on Temple in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, the team beat Washington and Lee before going on to defeat Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in the finals. They advance to the international rounds held this April.

The Mock Trial Honor Society (MTHS) team of 2L Zhuo Zhao, 3L Austin Wallick, and 3L Rachel Saady-Saxe – coached by Adjunct Professors Cristina Hillyer and Aimee Ghosh ’12 and Associate Director of the Trial Advocacy Program Elizabeth Lippy– won the Region III round of the National Trial Competition (NTC). The team advances on to the national competition this April. 3Ls Valerie Cambronne and James “Jimmy” Sullivan, along with 2LTaryn Boyer, garnered semi-finalist finishes at the competition.

2Ls Veronica Faison and Rachel Mina.
Veronica Faison and Rachel Mina.

2Ls Veronica Faison and Rachel Mina, members of the Alternative Dispute Resolutions Honor Society, competed as an independent team and won first-place at the National Black Law Students' Association's International Negotiations Competition. Additionally, Faison won Best Negotiator. The team was coached by AUWCL alum Jacqueline Youm '16.

AUWCL also excelled at the National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition with a hybrid team comprised of students from MCHS and the Environmental Law Society, an independent team. The event was hosted by the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in New York. The team of 3L Jenna Ruddock, 3L Billy Dove, and 2L MCHS member Eric Sell were finalists at the competition, reaching the top 3 out of 55 schools. The group, coached by Director of Program on Environmental and Energy Law and Professor Amanda Leiter, also won best brief of the competition.

The independent team of 2Ls Maren Taylor, Casey Crandall and Li-Te (Alex) Hsu—led by coach Anna Butenko—made it to the quarter-finals of the West Virginia College of Law’s National Energy & Sustainability Moot Court Competition.

Associate Director of  Health Law and Policy Asha Scielzo, center, with students Lauren Sager, Brittney Hall, Meghan Browder, and David Cohen.
Associate Director of Health Law and Policy Asha Scielzo, center, with students Lauren Sager, Brittney Hall, Meghan Browder, and David Cohen.

3Ls Allen Kogan and Ian Roberston, MCHS members, were semi-finalists at the 25th annual Tulane Mardi Gras Inivtational Appellate Sports Law Competition in New Orleans. The team was coached by Adjunct Professor James Payne. MCHS members 3L Tim Cummings and 3L Jewel Lightfoot, coached by Professor Elizabeth Keith, were semi-finalists at the D.C. Moot Court Competition. 

3L MCHS members Robert Lackey and Jase Tilley were named champions of the regional round of  the 2020 American Bar Association’s Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC). Lackey was also named eighth best oralist. The team, coached by Professor Adrian Alvarez, will compete in the national round in Chicago in April. Professor Cori Alonso-Yoder coached the team of 3Ls Abby Kittredge and Stephen Moss, who were also named NAAC finalists.

In addition, 3L Meghan Browder and 3L David Cohen won second place at the Health Law Regulatory and Compliance Competition, hosted by the University of Maryland. Lauren Sager and Brittney Hall won third place. The teams were coached by Adjunct Professor Asha Scielzo, associate director of AUWCL's Health Law and Policy Program.